Travel around the world with food🌎

🗺️Lets travel around the world with food🗺️

We are going to take a trip around the world today and stop at each of the 7 continents to explore their most popular foods and favourite ingredients! Some may shock you more than others but keep reading and lets see what everyone around world is eating..

First stop, North America:

Guess what the number 1 most popular food is in North America... you're right if you said burgers!! They also specifically love hamburgers, and these along with grilled cheese sandwiches and french fries, were the top 3 food favourites in 2024. 84% of North Americans have only a positive opinion on each of these three dishes! On a bit of a healthier note, squash's are native to North America and they grow them next to tall corn stalks so that their squashes could benefit from their shade. They are also believed to be one of the first domesticated American crops. The food capital here is New York City, no surprise there, and its known around the world for a dining scene that is large in both diversity and volume. The city is filled with food places, from posh dine-in restaurants providing luxury 3 course meals, to street food stands offering corn dogs!

Next, South America:

In the southern part of the USA, the food favourites are very different, with empanada's being one of the most popular foods! An empanada is a baked or fried turnover including pastry and filling, the most common one being an oven-baked empanada de pino. This is filled with ground beef, minced onion, boiled egg, and a single unpitted black olive. Originating from Peru, Ceviche is also a very popular meal across South America. Ceviche is a dish including fish or shellfish marinated in citrus and seasonings and is most commonly enjoyed as a main course or an appetizer. Some of the most used ingredients in South America include beans, cumin, rice, garlic and tomatoes, these are used in a lot of staple dishes!

The empanada's sound great though don't they? Here's a recipe for you to try out and then add to your specials menu 👇

Now we land in, Africa:

One of the most popular dishes in Africa is Jollof rice, which is usually made with rice, tomatoes, chilli's, onions, spices and desired veg and meat. It's loved for its rich, spicy tomato flavour! Another popular one is Bobotie, this consists of spiced minced meat baked with an egg based topping, they love their spice! Typically, African dishes are mostly gluten free and made with natural whole foods such as grains and nuts, and there staple ingredient is rice! Another staple ingredient in Africa are Yams, these root vegetables appear in various African dishes! Furthermore, fruits are one of the most commonly consumed foods in Africa, with the most popular fruit being watermelon, alongside bananas, apricots and coconuts.

Brrrr, we've made it to, Antarctica:

Did you know... there are no restaurants in Antarctica? Why? Well, as there are no people there permanently, restaurants aren't really needed! Since there has never been permanent human life there, there are no dishes to have been passed down to become a national dish, so unlike all other continents, they don't have one. Although there is no national dish, seafood is a very popular ingredient over there, with shellfish being a particular favourite. Fish is included in majority of the meals eaten in Antarctica and as there are so many lakes, rivers and streams, the fish eaten is always very fresh.  Pemmican is also commonly eaten, which is a mixture of tallow, dried meat and sometimes also dried berries. They also eat a range of vegetables, muesli, meats, and some old favourites such as biscuits and cheese!

Next stop, Europe:

Coming from Italy, pizza is one of the number one most popular and traditional European dishes! Another few of the most popular European dishes include: Paella, Currywurst, Gyros, Fish & Chips, Pierogi and Moussaka. Although these dishes come from a range of countries within Europe, Italy has the most loved cuisine with their pastas & pizzas which have became extremely popular, not just in Europe but all over the world! Some of the most used ingredients used within European cuisine include olive oil, herbs, potatoes, cheese and a variety of meats! Switzerland holds the title for the most expensive food in the continent, and they are close to having 1,650 restaurants in Geneva alone! Also, Europe loves their chocolate, with Brussels airport having the largest chocolate outlet in the whole world, sounds like an ideal airport!

Now we touch down in, Asia:

Asian food is very popular and is eaten all over the world due to it's great flavour! Asia is the home to so many great cuisines including: Thai, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and more. On a day to day basis, rice, noodles, breads, millet, corn & other grains are typically consumed and are very popular ingredients in a variety of dishes. They also incorporate a large array of spices in their meals, one being Star Anise which is a star shaped spice with an aniseed-like flavour and is used constantly within Chinese and other Asian cuisines for its strong fragrance and taste. In central Asia, Rice Pilaf is very iconic with its strong savoury flavour, this is a rice dish / side option which is often paired with grilled meat or fish.

Have a go at making Rice Pilaf with the recipe below, add to your menu's as a new side dish 👇

Our final destination, Australia: 

Were now finishing our world round trip in sunny Australia! Pavlova is famous in Australia, it's a traditional food down under and is a meringue cake base topped with cream and berries, typically eaten after a main dish. For the main, meat pie is very popular! This Australian favourite is made up with flaky pastry and filled with minced meat & gravy, or sometimes mixed with a variety of vegetables. Australians have so many popular snacks & sweet treats, such as: Vegemite, Anzac biscuits, Sausage sizzle, Tim Tams, and an especially popular one is Fairy Bread. Fairy bread originated from Australia/New Zealand, and is as simple as sliced white bread with spread butter and then covered with hundreds and thousands! Furthermore, in terms of general Australian ingredients, Crocodile, Macadamia Nuts, Green Ants, Mud Crabs, Kangaroo and Wattle seeds, are all loved throughout the country and will appear in a variety of foods!

Overall..

This proves there are so many great dishes & ingredients around the world that aren't commonly seen or eaten here in the UK, try out the recipes linked and make them a part of your menus, let's bring a taste of the world into the UK!

Imogen Tincknell - Marketing Apprentice